It is no secret that we at The Takeout love Ina Garten. She is the undisputed queen of the Food Network, and I personally have no issue in taking all of her tips and suggestions as culinary law. The central crux of Ina's cooking philosophy is using basic but high-quality ingredients, showing that cooking doesn't have to be complicated to get the best flavor.
We already know her emphasis on splurging on , , and, most famously, vanilla, but how are you supposed to know which brands live up to Ina's standards? With the number of recipes it is used in, whether mixing up a salad dressing or just sauteeing in a pan, high-quality olive oil should take utmost importance in everyone's pantry. The olive oil that Ina Garten turns to the most is Olio Santo extra-virgin olive oil, and thankfully, the brand is quite easy to find in stores. Why Olio Santo is best comes from an olive farm and vineyard in California and was at the forefront of the EVOO renaissance in the late 90s and early 2000s.
Before then, most people would just use vegetable oil. How primitive was that? Ina has been reaching for Olio Santo for over 25 years for everything from sauteeing to roasting vegetables to mixing up a tasty salad dressing. It has a buttery, smooth flavor that makes all recipes that use it taste rich, but when consumed raw and unadulterated, like as a dip for fresh, crusty bread, you can taste the oil's uniquely piquant, peppery finish.
I also like making a sweet olive oil cake that helps bring out s.